Improvement in rotary engines



5 Sheets-Sheetl.

R. VAIL-E.

ROTARY-ENGINE.

Patented June 26,1877.

MPEIERS. PHOYO-LITHOGRAPHER/VVASHINGTON. D C.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2, R. VAILE.

ROTARY-ENGINE. No. 192,547. Patented June 26,1877.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3'.

R. VAILE.-

v ROTARY-ENGINE.

No. 192,547, Patented June 26,1877.

=3 o." Lin/6 I, I x

FIG 3 END ELEVATION PiJETERS FHOEJO-LVTHOGRAPHH. WASSINGTON, D. Q

5 Sheets-Sheet 5. R. VAILE. ROTARY-ENGINE. No. 192,547. Patented June26,1877.

k," Y z 7 k h i v! FIG 6 FIG 7 N.PETZR$,'FND1D LITMOGRAFHER, WASHIN ON DC ROBERT VAILE, OF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN. ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 192,547, dated June26,1877 application filed July 21, 18 75.

To all whom it mayconcern 7 Be it known that 1, ROBERT VAILE, of thecity of Auckland, in the Province of Auckland, in the British colony ofNew Zealand, engineer, have invented an Improved Rotary Engine, forapplying the motive power of steam, water, atmospheric air, andsimilarlyacting motive powers, which invention is fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to rotary engines for applying motive power; andconsists of an arrangement of mechanism for applying the motive power ofsteam, water, atmospheric air, and similarly-acting motive powers, so asto obtain a rotary motion direct from the power without the use of thecrank and its necessary parts, which are now used to produce a rotarymotion from the reciprocating engines at present in general use.

I obtain this result by causing a drum or cylinder, attached to a shaft,to revolve within an external cylinder, the steam or other motive powerbeing confined between these two cylinders, and, acting on slides orpistons caused to alternately project and recede from the sur face ofthe internal cylinder, compels the internal cylinder and its shaft torevolve, thus giving the rotary motion desired.

Figure 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a section through A B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an end view. Fig. 4 is a section through 0 D of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5is a partial end view, showing packing-ring, governing-wheel, and thecam-groove. Fig. 6 is a detail in section of the steam-valve, theabutment, and steam-piston. -Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of thesteam-valve.

Like letters refer to the same parts in all the figures of the drawing.

In Fig. 2, a. a a a. is the external cylinder; b b b b, the internalcylinder; 0 O O 0, jacket coverin'g external cylinder; 0 c c c c c, thesteam or other motive-power space between these two cylinders; d, shaftof internal cylinder; e e 0, slides or pistons on which the motive poweris acting; f ff, similar slides or pistons, which are passingtheabutments in the external cylinder. 9 g g g are metal tongues forkeeping a steam tight joint between the abutments in theexternalcylinder and surface of the internal cylinder. They may be keptin place by springs from above or by steam-pressure. h h h areinlet-valves, revolving in sockets t c" 'i, which sockets are cast inone piece with the external cylinder; 9' j j j j j, inlet and outletports to the engine. When the valves h h h are in the direction of thefull line, Fig.2, the engine is working forward; when in direction ofthe double-headed arrows the motive power is shut off, and all the portsj j j j j j are open to the exhaust; when in the direction of the dottedline the engine is reversed, and working backward. It will he observedby following the indications of these lines that the port which is theinlet when working forward becomes the exhaust when workin g backward,and that port which is the inlet when working backward becomes theexhaust when working forward. When in the direction of the double-headedarrows the valve rests in its seat, and the motive power is shut ofi,leaving all por s open to the exhaust. k k is are exhaust-chambers overvalves. I I I I are exhaust-passages connecting exhaust-chambers overvalves with main exhaust-pipe m. t t t t, Fig. l, are inletpipesconveying steam or other motive power to the engine. at a, Fig. 3,- arelevers for turning the valves h h h. o o are rods for connecting theselevers together; 10, a handle for operating the levers to control thevalves h to admit steam to the ports j, to run the engine either forwardor backward, or to stop it. u u, Figs. 3 and 5, are wheels which arekeyed to the shaft, and revolving with it to govern the movements of theslides or pistons e e of f f, by compelling the studs V to follow theeccentricities of the guides W W. The governingwheels u, as shown inFigs. 2, 3, and 5, rotate with the shaft, and are provided with groovedradial arms, in which the studs V, rods K, and crossheads H slide. Thecrossheads are connected by rods L, which pass through stuffing-boxes Min the internal cylinder, with the steam-pistons e f. A cam-groove, W,is

fixed to some stationary part of the engine. The depressions in this camcorrespond with the fixed abutments g in the external cylinder.

As the shaft d d is caused to rotate it carries around with itthegoverning-wheel u. The studs V, sliding in the cam-groove W, are movedup and down, which throws the pistons 0 into the space 0 to be operatedby the fluid pressure, and withdraws them into the internal cylinder toallow them to pass the abutments g. An elastic material, Z, is fixed onthe stems K, between the studs V and the adjusting-nuts' Z. Thismaterial keeps the pistons 6 working up ste'am-tight on the externalcylinder, and takes off the jar and strain of these parts. The engine isdivided horizontally into two parts, (1 q,-the two parts being heldtogether by bolts 0. Q Q are plates that may be removed to view thejoint q. The upper half of the external cylinder'can be removed and theinterior of the engine examined, and, should it be desired to furtherexamine the whole of the internal cylinder, its shaft can be lifted outby releasing the brasses X X X X, in which the shaft cl d revolves. Y Yare screw-bolts for keeping the brasses X X X X in place. E E E arehand-screws working in covers F to keep valves h h h, Figs. 3 and 6, upto their seats. When it is desired to disconnect the engine for examination, the set-screws N N are taken out, and the governing-wheels u u u uare drawn along the shaft d d in a line with their keys P P, close tothe brasses XX X X, thus completely disconnecting the studs V from theeccentric guides W W W W, and the cross-heads Hfrom theconnecting-rodsL. TTT, Fig. 5, is a spring' packing, closing on theinternal cylinder, broken through at W to show joint between internaland external cylinders. V V are screws to prevent spring-packingrevolving with internal cylinder. 3; y are slots through the slide orpiston to allow free circulation of steam round it while in the act ofprojecting from and receding into the internal cylinder. R E, Fig. 6,are metal tongues for making the ends of the slides or pistonssteamtight and compensating for wear. They are kept up by springs attheir back.

If desired, instead of using india-rubber for the cushions Z, metalsprings can be substituted.

Though in the accompanying drawings three inlet-valves are shown and sixslides or pistons, I by no means confine myself to these numbers, butwork with these, or more or less, according as I want steam-surface, orwish to adapt the engine for working expansively.

When working expansively, I either place expansion-valves in theinlet-pipes t, or cause the valves h to rock, so as to admit and cut offthe steam or similar motive power at any period of the revolutiondesired, in either case working such valve by a movement from the mainshaft.

If desired, two of these engines of difi'erent capacity can be used onthe compound principle, as in the present reciprocating engine, bytaking steam at ,a high pressure direct from the boiler into the smallerengine, and from it expanding into the larger.

*In some cases, instead of jacketing the external cylinder with exhauststeam, I connect the exhaust-chambers kby pipes, so as to complete thecircuit, and convey the exhaust steam to the main exhaust-pipe m.

When the jacket G is used, and the length of cylinder will permit, Iprefer, instead of using the inlet-pipes t, as shown in the drawings, totake'a portion of the jacket G for the supply steam, and the otherportion for the exhaust steam, connecting the main steam-pipe with anyconvenient part of the jacket, at the same time shortening the valves hwith their sockets, and the ports of the engine to' the breadth of thatportion of the jacket reserved for the exhaust steam, the end sockets ofthe valves I2 being formed in the wall dividing the chambers containingthe supply and exhaust steam, thus taking in steam at their ends in thesame'manner as shown in the drawings by the inlet-pipes t.

"I am awarethat the principle of a rotary engine is not new, and Itherefore make no claim thereto; but

I claim- 1. The combination, in a rotary engine, of a governing-wheel,u, the cross-heads H, the rods L attached to the steam-pistons, therodsK, the studs V, and the cam W, substantially as described, wherebysuflicient space is provided to give long and free curves to thecam-guide.

2. The combination of the steam-piston, the connections L H K, the studV, the cam W, and the cushioning device Z, substantially as described,whereby the pistons are kept steamtight and are readilyadjusted.

3. The combination, with the governingwheel, of the steam-piston, thecross-head, the stud V, the cushioning device Z, and the adjustin'g-nutson the stem K, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the horizontally-divided cylinders a, b, and c,the plates Q, the pistons and. abutments, the steam-ports j j, andexhaust-passages I, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the hollow steamvalves h, the steam-passages j j,the exhaustpassages I, the lever O for connecting the valves, by whichthey are operated to start, stop, and reverse the engines, substantiallyas described.

. ROBERT VAILE.

Witnesses HENRY SHAW, WALTER LONG.

